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(No Model 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. 'P. L. BECKER. UPRIGHT PIANOPQRTE ACTION.

Patented Feb. 22, 1898.

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-'F. L. BECKER. UPRIGHT PIANOFORTE ACTION.

Patented Feb. 22, 1898.

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FRANCIS L. BECKER, OF NPTW YORK, N. Y.

UPRIG HT-PIANOFO RTE ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,585, dated February 22, 1898. Application filed October 26, 1897. Serial No. 656,383. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS L. BECKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Upright-Pianoforte Actions, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to upright-pianoforte actions, and has for its object to provide certain improvements in the construction of the same whereby the application of the soft pedal will bring the action to the pianissimo position without varying the point of contact between the key and the intermediate mechanism and without increasing the number of parts or pivots heretofore in use. This object I accomplish by certain improvements in the construction of the lower rail and the lever connecting the abstract thereto,whereby a movable point of contact is afforded between said lever and a fixed point on the key that will, when shifted by the application of the soft pedal, bring the action to the pianissimo position without varying the point of contact with the key, thus permitting the latter to retain its full stroke and at the same time diminishing the amount of power required to produce a tone.

In the drawings accompanying this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved action in the position of rest ready for a normal stroke. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the action in a position of rest ready for a pianissimo stroke; Fig. 3, a detail view of a portion of the key, its abstract, and the intermediate parts, illustrating a slight modification.

Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views.

In the said drawings I have shown my improved construction applied to the action disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States granted to me August 3, 1897, No. 587,543; but it will be understood that I do not confine myself to this particular construction, as the present improvement is adapted to be applied to the well-known forms of actions now in use with but slight modifications, as will be hereinafter explained.

Referring to said drawings, the reference.

numeral 1 denotes the piano string or wire,

and 2 the hammer carried by the hammer-butt 3, pivoted on the main rail 4. of the action. The action is also provided with the usual damper 5, damper-lever 6, spoon 7, back-check 8, countercheck 9, jack 10, escapement 11, wippen 12, abstract 13, and hammer-rail 14, a further description of which is deemed unnecessary.

In the lower portion of the action is the lower rail 15, which is pivoted by means of wires 16 to the vertical frame 17 of the action, only sufficient of the latter being shown to indicate this manner of connection, it being understood that there are usually four of these vertical uprights in the standard action, to each one of which a wire 16 is connected. Connected to a fixed bar 18 on said lower rail 15 is the upper end of the lifting-dowel 19, connected at its lower end to the soft pedal. (Not shown.) Pivoted in a flange 20, fixed to said lower rail, is a lever 21, that is also pivoted near its front end to the abstract 13, as shown. Located beneath this lever 21 is the piano-key 22, pivoted in the usual manner at 23 on the balance-rail 24:, and on its inner upper end is a capstan-screw 25, that contacts with the under side of the lever 21 to impart the stroke of the key to the hammer 2, a suitable felt 26 being located on either the lever 21 or the screw 25 to deaden the contact. So, also, felts 27 are interposed between the uprights 17 and bottom rail 15, as shown, while a contact-screw 2S, fixed to the back of the piano, serves to limit the movement of the bottom rail in that direction.

From the above description the operation of my improved construction will be understood to be as follows: The action being in its normal position (shown in Fig. 1) a stroke will be imparted from the key 22, through the capstan-screw 25, lever 21, and abstract 13, to the hammer-operating mechanism, it being observed that the said capstan-screw is located directly beneath the lower end of the abstract 13, thus imparting a full stroke thereto, just as it would were the lever 21 omitted. Now when it is desired to obtain a pianissimo stroke the soft pedal is depressed, lifting the dowel 19 and, through the bar 18, swinging the bottom rail 15 bodily to the rear on its pivotwires 16 to the position shown in Fig. 2. This movement of the bottom rail also draws the lever 21 to the rear until its contact-point, with the capstan-screw 25, is at its extreme front end, the leverage thus exerted lifting the abstract and, through the intermediate mechanism, bringing the hammer 2 to the pianissimo position, all as shown in Fig. 2. A stroke now given to the key 22 will be imparted to the hammer 2 in the same way as above mentioned, except that the shifting of the lever 21 has carried the abstract away from directly above the capstan-screw 25, and the leverage thus obtained results in reducing the lifting stroke of said abstract, a result necessary to be obtained owing to the propinquity of the hammer 2 to the string. The release of the soft pedal will necessarily restore the various parts to their normal positions, as will be readily understood.

The main advantage obtained by my construction is that the normal stroke imparted to the abstract is the same as if the latter contacted directly with the key, while the shifting of the action to the pianissimo posit-ion does not change the contact-point of the key, it being well known to those skilled in the art that the said keys are manufactured according to a recognized standard that requires a contact-point to be fixed with respect to the pivotal point and the length of said key.

Another advantage obtained is that the desired result is accomplished without increasing the number of pivotal connections between the parts, the same being a well-recognized desideratum in the art. In fact, by

my construction there are but two pivotal points between each abstract and its keyleverviz., the pivotal connection between the abstract 13 and lever 21 and that between said lever and its flange 20. It is true that the lower rail 15 is pivoted to the vertical frame 17 of the action; but this cannot be considered a part of the action proper, as it is out of operation except when the soft pedal is applied, and, moreover, has at the most but four pivotal points in all, instead of one for each key-lever and abstract.

A further advantage obtained is that the shift of the action to pianissimo increases the incline of the abstract with respect to the jack 10, thus diminishing the direct application of the stroke.

It will also be noticed that the movement of the bottom rail to the rear is not interfered with by the uprights 17, while a movement of the same in the opposite direction would necessitate a radical change in the construction and location of these uprights from that now generally employed.

I have shown in Fig. 3 a slightly-modified construction in which the well-known rocker 29 is employed instead of the capstan-screw 25, it only being necessary to form one end thereof into the projection 30 to provide a contact with the lever 21, either said projection or the lever being felted, as may be desired.

In piano-actions where the hammers are supported by a hammer-rail alone and it is necessary to shift said rail to bring the hammer to the pianissimo position I may impart the necessary motion thereto in any wellknown manner-as, for instance, by pivoting said rail in the frame and imparting movement directly thereto from a separate dowel connected to the soft pedal. It will be observed, however, that with the construction herein illustrated the movement of the hammer-rail is unnecessary, as the hammer is supported directly by the jack 10.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an upright-pianoforte action, the combination with a key, a hammer, an abstract, and intermediate mechanism for operating the hammer, of a fixed contact-point on said key, a movable contact-surface connected to the abstract against which said fixed contactpoint is adapted to abut, and mechanism for shifting said movable contact-surface and abstract with relation to said fixed contactpoint, substantially as set forth.

2. In an upright-pianoforte action, the combination with a key, a hammer, an abstract, and intermediate mechanism connecting said hammer with said abstract, of a lever pivoted to the lower end of the abstract, a fixed contact-point on the key adapted to abut against said lever, and mechanism for shifting said lever and abstract with relation to said contact-point, substantially as set forth.

3. In an upright-pianoforte action, the combination with a key, a hammer, an abstract, and intermediate mechanism connecting said hammer with said abstract,of a movable lower rail, a lever pivoted thereto and to the abstract, a fixed contact-point on the key contacting with said lever, and mechanism for moving the lower rail to shift said lever in its relation to said contact-point, substantially as set forth.

4:. In an upright-pianoforte action, the combination with a key, a hammer, an abstract, and intermediate mechanism connecting said hammer with said abstract, of a lower rail pivoted in the action-frame, a lever pivoted to said rail and to the abstract, a fixed contact-point on the key contacting with said lever, and a lifting-dowel operated by the soft pedal and pivoted to the free end of an arm fixed to the lower rail, whereby the upward movement of said dowel will shift said lower rail and the lever pivoted thereto to the rear and thus shift the point of contact between said lever and the key contact-point, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. FRANCIS L. BECKER.

Witnesses:

Louis C. BECKER, THOMAS J. FARLEY. 

